Bible Verse: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).

Transcription

1 I Like My Bible Children s Prayer Revival 2007 Session 1 The Bible Is God s Word Aim: To understand that the Bible is God s Word and that it is true. Scripture Text: II Kings 22 Bible Verse: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105). POWer Line: God s Word is true. Supplies: book of fairy tales small pieces of candy large piece of posterboard markers ruler flashlights 15 sheets of paper masking tape 96 length of butcher paper Preparation: Write each word of the Bible verse (including reference) on sheets of paper or posterboard. Use masking tape to affix the papers to the floor and create a path around the room. Space the papers far enough apart so that students can easily step from paper to paper. Tape the butcher paper across the front wall. Divide into eight sections.

2 Schedule I. POWer of Worship A. Welcome/Worship Choir: The B-I-B-L-E B. Testimony Time C. Truth Conductor Standard Unit of Measure II. POWer of the Word A. Bible Memorization Flashlight Fun B. Illustrated Sermon C. Invitation and Prayer Welcome/Worship Lead students in worship choruses. POWer of Worship Divide the children into choirs according to age groups to sing The B-I-B-L-E. Younger children can sing the chorus in the traditional manner. Older students can create their own version of the old favorite by adding new words, rhythm, or tune. If possible, assign a helper to each choir to assist and direct. Allow time for children to perform in front of the whole group. You may have sung this song for years, but the words are still true. The Bible is the Word of God. How does that make the Bible different from this book? Show book of fairy tales. Do you know a fairy tale? Do you believe it? Why not? What story from the Bible

3 do you know? Ask a student to tell a quick Bible story. Do you believe this story? Why can we believe the Bible story but not a fairy tale? What s the difference? Word is true. We can believe the Bible stories because the Bible is God s Word and God s Testimony Time Allow every child who is willing to quote any Bible verse he chooses; it does not have to be word for word and the reference is not required. Give each child who quotes a verse a piece of candy. Verses can be repeated. King David said, Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11). Memorizing Bible verses gets us more than a piece of candy. The Word of God can keep us from sinning and making mistakes that cause us to be unhappy. Truth Conductor Hang a large piece of posterboard on the wall. Ask several students to come up (one at a time) and make a line that is 3 long. After students have made their marks use a ruler to measure the lines. Circle the line that is the closest to 3. Who decides how long an inch is? In ancient days, people said an inch was the width of a man s thumb and a foot was the length of a man s foot. King Henry I of England said a yard was the distance between his nose and the tip of his thumb when he stretched out his arm. What problems do you see with this type of measurement? What if one man had a really fat thumb? Or another man had a short, little foot? How

4 could you figure out how long a yard of material was if King Henry wasn t around? Measurement could get pretty confusing. It wasn t until the 1700s that people from different countries actually started using the same units of measurement. Today there are standard units of measurement worldwide, so that if you are in China 1 is the same as 1 in Finland. How is the Bible like a standard unit of measurement? Allow students to respond. What happens if one person says stealing is not wrong and another says it s okay to kill people if you don t like them? Who decides what is right and what is wrong? If the Bible says something is wrong, it s wrong in China and it s wrong in Finland. If the Bible says something is right, it s right in Germany and it s right in America. The Bible is God s Word and God s Word is true. We can trust the Bible. POWer of the Word Bible Memorization Flashlight Fun Divide the students into groups to memorize Psalm 119:105. When everyone can say the verse, turn off the lights and use a flashlight to lead students to the path you have prepared. Shine a light on each square of paper as each student says the word and moves down the path. If your children s church is large and this activity is too time consuming, create more than one path or hang the squares of paper on the wall, turn off the lights, and focus the flashlight on each square as students say the word. Discuss how the Word is like a light on a dark path.

5 How does a flashlight help you in the dark? What might happen if you were walking down a path in the woods at night without a flashlight? How is the Bible like a flashlight to us? Plug In If you can find a recording of Thy Word Is a Lamp unto My Feet (Amy Grant or Casting Crowns), play it softly while children move from square to square. Illustrated Sermon Hang the length of butcher paper on the wall. Create eight frames or sections on the paper. Select markers that will not bleed through on to the wall or use crayons or colored pencils. As you tell the Bible story, select students to illustrate the story with simple drawings. Let students know that is fine to use stick figures and sketches. How many eight-year-olds do we have in children s church today? Allow children to respond. Do you think you are old enough to be a king? Would you make a good king? What would be the first thing that you would do if you were king? A boy in the Bible named Josiah became king of Judah when he was eight years old. Ask a volunteer to draw a crown or boy king in the first frame. Josiah loved the Lord and he wanted to do what was right. After he got older, Josiah decided to repair the Temple, which was in really bad shape. The Temple was the place where the people were supposed to worship the Lord, but for a long time they

6 had been praying to idols and false gods. The Temple fell apart. It was full of junk and run down. Ask a student to draw a church (or building) with junk lying around, and with crooked doors and windows. Josiah hired repairmen, carpenters, and skilled workers to fix up the Temple. While the people were cleaning up the Temple, the high priest, who was like the pastor or preacher, found the book of the law. The book of the law was the Word of God. Ask a volunteer to draw a Bible in the next frame. It had been a long time since the people had read the Word of God. No wonder they were worshiping idols and had let the Temple fall apart. How could they know what was right without the Word of God? The high priest took the book of the law to the scribe, Shaphan. Back in those days, scribes were about the only people who could read and write. Shaphan took the Word of God to the king. The king said, Read it to me. Ask a student to draw a picture of Shaphan reading the Word to the king. When King Josiah heard the Word of the Lord, he was upset. He knew that he and the people had not been obeying the Word of God. He ripped his kingly robe as a sign of repentance. Ask a student to draw King Josiah tearing his robe or to draw a torn robe or to tear a hole in the paper. King Josiah said, Send for the prophetess, Huldah. The prophetess was a wise woman who spoke for God. Ask her if she has a message from the Lord for us. Ask a student to a draw a figure of woman in a robe. Huldah told the king, Yes, the country of Judah is in trouble because they have not obeyed the Word of the Lord. Judgment is coming. But because you have done

7 what was right before the Lord and because you repented when you read the Word, judgment will not come as long as you live. Josiah called all the people together and told them what the Lord had said. We must obey the Word of the Lord, Josiah told them. The people promised to obey the Word and follow the ways of the Lord. Ask a student to draw a crowd of stick figures or happy faces. As long as Josiah was king, the country of Judah prospered, but just like the Lord had promised, judgment came to Judah after Josiah died. God s Word is true. Ask a student to write the POWer line in the last frame. Invitation and Prayer The people of Judah did not know what was right because they had not read or heard the Word of God. If we are going to do what is right, we need to know what the Word of God says. The Bible, God s Word, tells us how to be saved. Acts 2:38 tells us to repent and be baptized in Jesus name for the remission of our sins. Then the Lord will send His Holy Spirit to live inside of us. Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God? Do you believe the Bible is true? Have you obeyed the Word of God? Invite the children to obey the Word of God and pray for salvation. If the students in your children s church have already received the Holy Ghost, lead them in a prayer of re-dedication. Perhaps like the people of Judah they have drifted away from the Word of God, let unholy things creep into their lives, and need to consecrate themselves to the Lord again.